


The Valley

by Kamidani



Category: Kingdom Hearts, The Last Guardian (Video Game)
Genre: And Sora as The Boy, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Starring Ven as Trico
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-19
Updated: 2019-06-19
Packaged: 2020-05-15 01:37:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19285453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kamidani/pseuds/Kamidani
Summary: In a valley far above the rest of the world, a boy wakes up in an underground ruin, with no memory of how he got there and no one to turn to for help. No one, that is, other than the great golden beast lying next to him, chained down and wearing armor made of a material like nothing he'd ever seen before. So begins a tale of magic, trust, and tragedy, as the unlikely duo fight their way to the top of the valley. The mysterious Tower that watches over them holds secrets beyond any that the boy could have ever imagined. But it also holds the key to getting back home.





	The Valley

**Author's Note:**

> You know what's disappointing? The dismal lack of fics for The Last Guardian. You know what's equally disappointing? The number of hours I know this fic is going to suck out of my life. Either way, once again the Discord has inspired something awful and wonderful, and now I have to see this thing through to the end. If you're like me and absolutely love TLG, then hopefully this fulfills the need. If you don't love TLG, what the fuck are you doing here? Go buy it, go watch a playthrough, do s o m e t h i n g, cause you need this game in your life. Then come back and read this because I wilt when I don't get enough validation.

He awoke to the sound of birdsong. Tired eyes drifted open, revealing pure, sky blue to the stones around him. With a groan, the boy sat up, every part of him singing out in some kind of pain. His skin was no doubt about to blossom with bruises, and the stitch in his side was probably a good sign of cracked or broken ribs. In short, he was tired, sore, and completely unsure of where he was or why he was here.

 

The great beast lying across from him provided more questions than answers, really.

 

The boy leapt back with a shout, scrambling away across the mossy stone. The beast flinched back, it's own eyes shooting open, and pinning him with their eerie glow. The boy stilled, unable to move beneath its searching gaze. Slowly, the boy's eyes trailed from its head, which was half covered in some odd armor, to its neck, where a collar lay nestled in golden hued feathers. A chain thicker than his torso led to the dais in the center of the chamber they were both stuck in, and he breathed a sigh of relief. The beast was contained. It couldn't eat him.

 

The creature, whose head was taller than his whole body, lay back down with a reedy sigh. The boy eyed its form with distrust. He remembered seeing pictures of such creatures in storybooks, alongside dragons and griffins and phoenixes. They were supposed to be myths, or at the very least, so far from his home land that their lives would never intersect. But here, lying chained before him, lay one of the most mysterious of beasts. A Trico.

 

"Should I call you that? Trico?" As soon as he had spoken, he felt silly. This beast may be rare, but it was still a beast, and had the mind of one as well. It needed no name, it was what it was.

 

And yet, it managed to glare at him with its one visible eye and then turn away, as if offended. The boy actually laughed. What personality was hidden in that odd green eye!

 

"Do you want a different name?" he asked. His only response was a snort and a small sniffling sound. "I'll take that as a yes. How about…" he wracked his brain for words or names that would fit. A creature as large and powerful as this deserved a name to match its stature. He circled it warily, the cool stones soothing through the thin soles of his sandals. Small, scruffy wings tucked against its side caught his eye. This great, ponderous beast could fly? Surely it would take a great wind to carry it, like the ones the mariners spoke of when they returned from their grand sea voyages. Sora thought long and hard about what words he knew that related to wind.

 

"Ventus!" he crowed, triumphant. "I can call you Ventus. It means "great wind" in the old language. Well, the old _ er _ language. We speak a dialect most other tribes have long since abandoned." At the mention of the other tribes, the boy felt his spirits sink. 

 

He still had no idea where he was, or how far he was from his village. Would he ever make it back home? Hell, would he ever even make it out of this cave? The stone walls rose up around him, commanding and imperious, far more terrifying obstacles in their own way than the newly named Ventus. The beast could be moved, could be killed if you tried hard enough. The stones could not.

 

The boy turned to face his companion once more. "My name is Sora," he told it, watching for any signs of kindness in that one eye. It just watched him, quiet, and he sighed in defeat. "Not that it matters," he grumbled. "You'll never say it." His head hung, and he stared at his own open palms. What was he to do?

 

For a moment, he was lost in despair. Then he noticed the markings lining his arms, and was distracted by the new mystery.

 

"Where did…?" He turned his arms this way and that, trying to find a symbol or a character he recognized, but there were none. It was nonsense, or a language he'd never seen. He glanced at Ventus. "Do you know anything about this?" It shuffled away, claws clicking against the rock. It hunched its shoulders up, almost looking… embarrassed? Sora huffed out a laugh, turning his attention back to his new tattoos. "If I didn't know better I'd say you'd almost look guilty." 

 

Ventus let out an apologetic croon. Sora decided to ignore the intelligence that was swiftly making itself known in the creature.

 

He let his arms drop with a heavy sigh. Tattoos, despite their inexplicable nature, were the least of his problems. He needed to get  _ out _ of here, and he was having a sneaking suspicion that he was going to have to coerce the beast to help. He narrowed his eyes at it, ready to make a grand speech.

 

"Now, you listen here-" 

 

He choked on his own words, eyes widening in horror. There, on its hindquarters, a broken spear was lodged deep in the flesh, the golden feathers around it stained crimson. Was that why the beast hadn't even attempted to rise? The shaft of the spear had to be lodged incredibly deep, it must have been agony for the muscles to move around it. 

 

"Oh, Ventus," he murmured, edging closer to the wounded area without thinking. "What happened to you?" He took a moment to reconsider their situation. The wounds, the collar, the broken, crumbling armor- was Ventus as much of a prisoner as he was? That made no sense, surely there was no man alive who could contain such a beast. And yet, here it lay, wounded and vulnerable. If he left it as it was…

 

Ventus would die, slow and painful, bleeding out and unable to move. Thirst and hunger would overtake it until it was too weak to even attempt to fight its bonds. Sora shuddered at the thought of it. It didn't matter how fearsome of a beast it was, he  _ refused _ to leave it to die like this. He met its gaze once more, eyes narrowed in determination.

 

"I need to take that spear out," he informed it, trying to keep his voice from trembling. Ventus shuddered, wings mantling in alarm, but it made no move to attack. There was no sign of anger, just fear. Which was understandable, considering how much it had to hurt. "I'll try to be gentle, but I'm no healer, so brace yourself." 

 

With achingly slow steps, he crept closer to its hind legs. He knew there had to be incredible strength hidden under those scruffy feathers. Was he walking steadily closer to his own death? Maybe he was the one who would die, broken and bleeding, all because he couldn't bear to leave this beast to die.

 

"Now I know why the village called me a bleeding heart," he mumbled as he climbed up onto its haunches. Ventus let out another scared whine, trembling with fear. Sora ran his hands across the feathers almost absentmindedly, soothing it the only way he could. It calmed just the tiniest bit, allowing him to creep closer and get a good grip on the spear.

 

"You ready?" he called. Ventus whimpered and tensed, claws gripping the stone floor. "Well. It's now or never!" Sora grasped the spear in both hands and pulled. Ventus began to thrash and shake beneath him, but he ignored it and kept pulling. If he didn't get it out now, he never would, and who knew if Ventus would ever trust him enough to get this close again. "Al...most…  _ there _ !" With one great heave, he removed the spear entirely, throwing its red stained shaft far off to the side. However, without something to grip, Ven's thrashing threw him off onto the hard ground, and before he could recover, one great scaled foot crashed into his chest. With a shrill cry of pain, Sora flew backwards and hit the wall of the chamber, hitting the ground with a dull thud.

 

Darkness clawed at the edges of his vision, and he groaned. He should have known…

  
  


Wakefulness returned in stages. Sora pushed himself up on trembling arms, wincing and crying as wounds cried out anew. His clothing was somehow, miraculously, still in one piece, but the skin underneath was a whole different story. Tears escaped, one after the other, as Sora forced himself to his feet. 

 

Ventus watched, some distance away, ears folded back against his head. Sora roughly scrubbed away tears, glaring at it half-heartedly. "I was trying to  _ help _ you," he grit out, barely able to talk past the lump in his throat. Ventus shook his head, wings mantling up again. Sora sighed in defeat, hugging himself against the evening cold. 

 

"Never mind. I should know better than to try and help something so much deadlier than me."

 

Ventus bowed his head, letting out a series of whines and whimpers that sounded almost defensive. Sora scoffed as he limped towards the ruins on the far side of the cave. "Don't act cute," he snapped. "You won't be getting any pity from me. You're a killer. All Tricos are. I've read the old manuscripts, I've seen what you can do. You carry people away from their homes, never to return.  _ You _ took me, didn't you? Well, it doesn't matter, cause I'm going  _ home _ , and you can't stop me,  _ beast. _ " Guilt bubbled up in his chest even as he spoke. He wasn't sure when he'd switched from referring to the beast as a "him" instead of an "it", but every second he spent with it made the look in its eye seem more human. And yet it had kicked him away, broken him even more with no effort at all, and seemingly no remorse.

 

Sora eyed the ruins with a critical air. Could he climb up them in the state he was in? And, really, was it worth it?

 

The answer to both was probably no, which meant he wasted no time in hauling himself up the ledge. His entire torso screamed at him to stop moving, but he ignored it. He had to explore every possibility, and he didn't have time to waste waiting for his wounds to heal.

 

To his dismay, the only thing that met him once he had climbed up was an odd, glowing barrel. He approached and let his hands run over the wood, lips pursed in confusion.

 

"What's causing that glow?" 

 

Below him, Ventus let out an excited trumpeting call, scrabbling at the stone and attempting to stand for the first time that Sora had seen since waking up here. He fell back to the stone, but his wings remained puffed up in excitement, and with his ears perked forward he almost looked…  _ cute _ .

 

"You want this?" Sora called, grievance momentarily forgotten. Ventus let out another loud call, ears folding back as he tilted his head back and howled. Sora giggled, before remembering that he was supposed to be mad at him. He forced a frown onto his face. "And why should I give it to you? You didn't even say please."

 

Ventus froze, before lowering his head contritely. He rumbled out a tiny little croon, and Sora was startled into laughing.

 

Despite the lack of language, it had been the exact same tone and intonation that the little ones in the village used when begging for a treat. Sora shook his head, smiling wryly. "I suppose I can't argue with that." With a grunt, he braced against the barrel and  _ shoved _ , watching as it rolled off and hit the floor below. Sora made his own slow way back down and picked it up, waddling slowly towards Ventus with his prize.

 

Just out of Ventus's reach, he stopped. The two of them eyed each other with matching looks of unease. Neither of them were ready to trust like that, not yet. So Sora tossed the barrel as far as he could and backed away. Ven's ears, which had pinned back as he approached, lifted again, and Sora watched in eager anticipation. What did Ventus want the barrel for?

 

With a quick lunge, the barrel disappeared into Ventus's mouth, and Sora gasped as he crunched it to bits and swallowed.

 

"You  _ eat  _ those?" he demanded. Ventus gazed at him, eyes a little less alarmed, and Sora sighed. "Let me guess. You want more." Ventus howled softly, eyes never leaving Sora. So the boy sighed and looked around for more glowing spots.

 

It ended up taking two more barrels before Ventus was satisfied, and Sora went through the same ritual for each. Pick it up, carry it as close as he dared, and throw it the rest of the way. With the second barrel he walked a bit too close for the beast's taste, and he dropped the barrel and scrambled away as he snapped at him. It was with renewed fear that he delivered the third barrel, worried that he was, once again, signing his death warrant.

 

"Please don't kill me," he whispered as he threw the last one. That barrel suffered the same fate as the others, and Ven shook his whole body with renewed vigor. Sora gulped nervously, and scrambled farther back as he attempted to stand.

 

With a whimpered cry and a  _ thump _ , Ventus fell back to the ground, groaning. Sora gasped as his new position revealed the second spear, buried in his right shoulder.

 

"Oh, no." He glanced warily at Ven's visible eye. "I- are you- ugh. Can I get that thing out without you trying to kill me?" Ventus watched quietly, and Sora tiptoed forward.

 

A step. Another. He minced closer and closer, rounding Ventus's shoulder with a muffled whimper of fear.

 

"Why am I  _ doing _ this?" he whisper-shouted, trembling from head to toe in terror. This was it, this was how he died, he was going to get murdered by a giant cat bird with more strength in one toe than he had in his own body. He was never making it back to the village, never seeing Riku or Kairi, or his brother Roxas, ever again. He would die here in this cave without ever seeing the sky.

 

With one last prayer to the gods for luck, he grasped the spear and  _ pulled. _ Ventus roared in pain, and as Sora worked the tip out of his flesh the beast rose to his feet, taking Sora with him and lifting the boy far above the ground. Once again, Sora ignored the danger, focusing on removing the weapon. With one last pull, it slipped free, leaving only the armor and that massive collar to cover Ventus's golden feathers. Sora eyed the collar, and the lever that stuck out from it.

 

"I'm an idiot," he realized as he climbed closer, taking hold of the lever in his hands. "I'm the biggest idiot in the village. Why am I freeing something that can kill me? Why am I doing this? Gods, Riku was right. I am gonna get myself killed being nice." Sora sighed. "Well, I've gotten this far." With one solid yank, he released the mechanism and watched the collar fall to the ground, shoulders slumping. "Might as well finish it."

 

With an ecstatic roar, Ventus shook himself, launching Sora off of his shoulders and causing the armor on his back to slip to the ground. Sora, once again, made sudden and violent contact with the wall, screaming as he felt something  _ shift _ in his arm. He hit the ground and screamed again, sobbing and crying out for help in a senseless stream of words. Names and pleading fell past his lips, with only the beast who had broken him to hear. The sound of giant footsteps approaching set him off even louder, begging for escape, for help, for  _ anything _ but this beast beside him and the death that he knew was soon to follow.

 

His massive head swung down towards him, that gaping maw coming way too close for his liking. Sora spat curses and tried to scoot away, but the fire in his arm and his torso prevented him from moving. Though he couldn't see them, teeth closed down around the back of his tunic, lifting him up and setting off every nerve in his body. Screams died down to whimpers, all the strength leaving him. Ventus carried him away from the wall and towards the patch of dimming sunlight on the ground, lowering him down onto soft, feathery forearms. Sora gazed up through tears at Ventus, but couldn't see anything past his muzzle. He closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable.

 

So he was slightly unprepared for the jarring feeling of a rough, warm tongue dragging up his torso. A pained groan escaped him, wincing and huffing out shaky breaths as his whole body was shifted by the firm, yet gentle strokes. It  _ hurt _ , it  _ burned _ , the feeling of it set his whole being ablaze. Yet, somehow, after a moment, the burn edged down to a soothing warmth, and the screaming pain in his body died down to a whisper. The relief was so sudden, so intense, that Sora fell asleep with a last, heavy sigh. Ventus continued his ministrations, purring deep in his throat to keep the fragile child in his grip asleep. So the two spent the night, Ventus hunched close over the odd boy who had helped him, and Sora curled loosely in the beast's arms.

 

By the time the sun rose, Ventus was as deeply asleep as Sora.

  
  
  


Sora awoke to the feeling of sunlight shining through his eyelids, and he blinked them open with a tiny groan. For a moment, he stared up at the stone ceiling, uncomprehending, but then the memories flooded back. He sat up with a gasp, wincing a second later as he waited for his injuries to scream at the sudden movement.

 

There was no pain, no sudden burning in his chest. He felt as good as he had ever felt, and he gazed down at himself in wonder. How…?

 

With a tired croon, Ventus lifted his head from beside him and gazed down at him, purring a welcome. Sora screeched in alarm and ducked away, dashing across the stone until he could press his back against the wall. Ventus watched him, head tilted to the side, and then slowly rose.

 

In the morning sun, he shone an even brighter gold than he had the day before, and the helmet obscuring his face stood bleakly against the luminous feathers. He scratched at it with one hind leg, shaking and stretching until it fell to the ground with a clang. Ventus looked at him once more, finally free.

 

Sora gazed back, trembling. All he could remember of the night before was removing the collar and then the bright burst of pain. Everything past that was a blur. So when Ventus crept closer, Sora trembled and leaned into the wall, head turned away and eyes squeezed tightly shut. He could feel his warm breath brushing his bangs away from his face, could hear his claws clicking against the stone.

 

The softest, most tender pressure against his belly made him open his eyes. Ventus had pressed his nose into his stomach, purring softly as he did so, and the gentle hum of it made Sora relax almost against his will. With a shaky laugh he reached forward and patted the velvet soft skin of his snout, and he almost melted into Ventus as the purring increased in volume. The vibration eased all the tension away, made him giddy with relief, until he could do no more than lean forward and sprawl across Ventus's head, arms loosely encircling him. Ventus crooned again, eyes hooding in happiness, until Sora finally managed to get his feet back under him and pull away, breaking free of the spell.

 

"Well, I suppose that makes us friends, huh Ven?" Sora giggled. Ventus tilted his head to the side, ears flopping as he did so. "What? You don't like it? I think it's cute. Besides, you're basically a giant cat. You don't need some grand, important name. Ven suits you, I think." Ventus sat back, pondered. Then, after a moment, he looked back up and leaned in, dragging his tongue across Sora's unruly hair. The boy batted him away with a laugh. "I'll take that as a yes. Come on, Ven! Let's get out of here."

 

With a happy little skip, Sora set off, heading towards the alcove in the wall. He hadn't had the strength or the will to explore it before, too afraid of what lie beyond their little chamber. But now Ven shuffled along behind him, which gave him more confidence than a whole village of soldiers could. What could hope to best the might of a Trico? 

 

Sora sprinted down the path, full of new energy, and was quite disappointed when he was forced to screech to a halt. The passage didn't go very far before hitting a dead end.

 

Although, there was a barrel up on a ledge that Ven was quite determined to get to, so it wasn't a complete bust.

 

After a moment's consideration, Sora climbed up Ven's leg, using feathers as handholds. It was laughably easy to reach his shoulders and then jump off onto the ledge where the barrel was stuck. It was slightly more difficult to get the barrel out of the small hole Ven had accidentally shoved it into, but it was still just a moment's effort to free it and throw it down.

 

While Ven happily chomped on his barrel, Sora eyed the little tunnel he'd just opened. A way out, maybe? He glanced at Ven, before ducking in and crawling through. He wasn't just going to abandon him, but he had to check. If this was a way out, then… well, Ven would be able to fly out on his own, right? There was that big old hole in the ceiling back where they'd come from. 

 

He ventured on, eventually reaching a decrepit old passageway, filled with moss and a fog that chilled his skin the moment he stepped into it. A few more twists and turns led to a wall that had cracked apart, leaving a space just big enough for him to squeeze through.

 

Far behind him, Ven let out an alarmed screech, finally noticing his absence. Sora glance back anxiously. Could he really leave him behind if this was an exit? 

 

Did he have a choice? 

 

With one deep, bracing breath, Sora squeezed through the crack, emerging into a room completely unlike the other ruins he had seen. The walls were smooth and white, with the occasional rune etched into their surface. The floor was pure ice, and Sora winced and lifted his feet as the cold bled right through the thin soles of his sandals. He hopped awkwardly around the room, trying to keep warm, only to freeze as he spied something oddly out of place.

 

A sarcophagus, larger than any he had seen, lay with its feet in the circle of the room, the rest of it lying in a section carved out of the wall. Sora approached it carefully, climbing on and examining the symbols etched into it. Still none he recognized, other than the main one. What looked like a stylized, broken heart was emblazoned in its chest, dead center, one half gold and the other half deep, vivid crimson.

 

Embedded in the center of that symbol was a mirror, a perfect circle, and glowing like the barrels had. With a muttered apology to whatever gods watched over this grave, Sora pried it free, gasping as it immediately threw a design onto the wall before him. No matter where he pointed it, no matter how little light there was, that design glowed brightly, until he set it aside and it dimmed again. It was almost as if it could sense his intent, and glowed in response.

 

Behind him, Ven bellowed again, louder and more insistent, and Sora sighed. This was a dead end, and while the mirror was interesting, he doubted it had a purpose other than ceremonial. He knelt and spoke a quick blessing to the grave he had just stolen from, a quick burst of magic spiralling from his fingertips into the air. He was no healer, but he was still a chosen one of the gods, and he was no stranger to magic. If there was a soul here to disturb, with any luck his pure light would ease it again. 

 

He turned and fled the frozen tomb, dashing back through the corridors and back to Ventus. The air was still chilled, and Sora knew he would be feeling that cold in his bones for some time. What was that grave doing there anyways? Why hide it so thoroughly, in ruins that seemed untouched for decades? Was there no one left to remember who had lain there? That  _ was  _ a sad thought, though Sora did not try to shove it away.  _ He _ could mourn the forgotten one there, even if they had no name.

 

By the time he emerged from the tunnel back to the passage he had left Ven in, the beast had lain down by the masonry, ears pinned back in sorrow. He dropped down onto Ven's back, causing him to flinch and rear his head back, eye's widening in delight.

 

"I'm back!" Sora announced. He held up his discovery, pointing it at the wall above them. "Look what I found!" 

 

With a snarl, Ven's eyes snapped to the design on the wall, and his tail rose up like some cursed snake and launched a bolt of viridian lightning at it. Sora screamed and dodged behind Ven's leg, making the design disappear and Ven's tail to fall back to its usual position. Ven growled and chuffed in displeasure, looking down between his front legs at where Sora hid.

 

"You can shoot  _ lightning?" _ Sora hissed, fear filling him anew. The manuscripts had never spoken of this, Tricos couldn't-  _ shouldn't  _ be able to do that! Ven just watched him, still shaking a little from the shock of suddenly being able to shoot lightning, and Sora ducked away, unable to handle it anymore.

 

"No, nope, this is not okay, I can deal with a lot of things but shooting lightning? I can't. I can't, I won't. I need to go, I need to get  _ out of here _ -" Sora yelped as his tirade was cut off by Ven gathering him up in his claws, pulling him back in. Sora turned to try and argue, to demand Ven let him go, only to be interrupted by Ven once again licking him with that warm sandpaper tongue. Sora sputtered in shock.

 

"No, you stop that! I do not need-!" His protests were completely ignored, and though Sora struggled he was unable to do anything against Ven's strength. That tongue dragged up his torso over and over again, pulling his tunic up and bunching it around his shoulders, revealing the tanned skin underneath. Sora yelled in indignation as Ven enthusiastically licked ticklish sides. He couldn't even begin to contain his giggles as he was mercilessly groomed by the beast. The barrage continued until Sora had worn himself out completely, and found himself dozing in Ven's claws as the Trico tended to his boy. 

 

It took a few moments of stillness before Sora shook himself awake, glaring at Ven in half-hearted annoyance. "Are you done?" Ven purred in response, seemingly quite pleased with himself, and Sora sighed. "You can't just do that whenever you please, it's rude." Ven looked somewhat doubtful, and Sora rushed to his own defense. "It is! You can't just do whatever you want 'cause you're bigger than me. If I say no, you gotta stop." Ven still looked doubtful, and Sora scoffed as he pulled himself free of his grip. "Whatever. Let's just find a way out of here." He trudged back down the passage, actually feeling remarkably cleaner than he had before Ven's ministrations. He set his jaw, determined to be annoyed. He did not need to be  _ cleaned _ by some overzealous cat, bird, thing. Trico. Whatever.

 

Ven trotted along behind him, in high spirits despite the fear he had felt upon seeing that mirror.

 

Sora returned to his original resting place, brow furrowed as he thought. That passage had been the only clear way out, and it led nowhere. Now what?

 

A flickering light, different from the gentle glow of his mirror or the barrels, caught his eye, and his head shot up in shock.

 

There was a crack in the stone across from him, and he could see a flame burning merrily away in a wall sconce through it. A way out! Hopefully.

 

Without even taking a moment to think about what he was about to do, Sora aimed his mirror at it, and a second later green lightning arced through the air and destroyed it completely. Shards of wood flew everywhere, and boulders fell to the ground and rolled away, revealing a passage large enough for the both of them behind it. Sora cheered, throwing his arms up in the air.

 

"We did it!" He glanced at Ven for only a moment before dashing forward, leaving Ven to croon in concern behind him. Sora ignored the beast's gentle cries, only concerned with what he knew  _ had _ to be the way out. He was going home!

 

The passage led out into a canyon carved deep through the earth, along the side of which the path led precariously. Sora ran along it, easily jumping the gaps and skirting the pile of pots that threatened to roll away at a moment's notice. His reckless charge finally got Ven to move, and the beast chased after him, whining in alarm. Sora laughed as he outpaced Ven's careful steps, ducking into another passageway at the end of the ledge. Ven continued to croon nervously as Sora leapt off a ledge and continued on his merry way. Sora glanced back at his companion and laughed. 

 

"What, are you worried? I'm fine!" To demonstrate, he ran to the next ledge before him and peered down, grinning at the enticing pool of water below. "See ya!" 

 

With an excited whoop, he dove in head first, and the water only slightly muffled Ven's terrified screech. Sora surfaced right as Ven slammed to a halt at the edge, gazing down into the water with wide eyes. Sora floated on his back, smiling so wide his eyes closed. "What are you so worried about? Come on in, the water's great!" 

 

Though Ven perched on the edge, only a moment away from falling in and his every feather radiating worry, he refused to jump in, and only whined anxiously. Sora rolled his eyes. "Are you scared of water? What for?" With an agile twist, he flipped around and dove through the water, pulling himself up on a nearby shore. "It's not that deep, you could probably stand in it just fine."

 

Ven remained stubbornly perched, and Sora decided that he might as well explore.

 

His reward was a ledge that was too tall for him to climb, and a crate with three barrels in it hidden in the top of some more tall ruins. The moment he threw one of the barrels in the water, Ven overcame whatever doubts he had before and leapt in, causing a wave so big that it bowled Sora over and smacked him into the wall. Sora groaned, waterlogged and now sore once again, as the water drained away and left him a soggy lump on the stone. Ven approached and sniffed him, purring apologetically.

 

"You're fine, Ven," Sora reassured him as he stood back up. "I should have held onto something." Ven did not move until Sora begrudgingly climbed up his head and onto his shoulders, and the beast waded through the water back to the ledge Sora had found earlier. The boy gripped golden feathers tightly as muscles bunched beneath him, carrying them both in a neat arc up on to the ledge.

 

Sora dismounted with a little shake, patting Ven's leg in thanks. He pushed onward, and finally came to a large chamber that was as tall, if not taller than the one he'd first woken up in. Windows were carved into the wall, and sunlight sparkled through them. Sora drew in a shaky breath.

 

He could see  _ blue.  _ He could see the  _ sky. _

 

He turned to face Ven, who was looking down at him fondly. With a quick hop, Sora was climbing up his side, and once he reached the top he sprawled across his broad forehead between the two horns that grew between his ears. He buried his hands through the feathers and fur that grew there and scratched at the skin beneath, and Ven let out such a loud, rumbling purr that Sora almost fell off as his whole body relaxed in response. But he managed to keep his wits and his grip, and as he continued petting the beast, Ven lowered himself to the ground with a long, low groan. Sora smiled as he sprawled across the stone, those bright eyes sliding shut in bliss.

 

He did not stop until Ven's breathing had evened out a bit. He doubted the beast was asleep, but at least he was much calmer. With that, he slid off and walked towards the wall, pulling himself up the smaller ledges. Ven's eyes blinked open, and he watched in confusion as Sora stood in the small, child sized opening.

 

"I guess this is goodbye, Ven," he called, watching as the beast lifted his head. "I have to go home to my village. Thank you for helping me." Ven stood up all the way, whining and shuffling his claws. Sora smiled one last time.

 

"Farewell."

 

With that, he ducked out the opening, closing his eyes against the bright sunlight. It took his eyes a moment to adjust, but when they did, he looked out at blue skies, green grasses that waved and danced in the wind, and tall, elegant trees. Sora drew in a deep breath, savoring the smell of air that wasn't damp and still with age. The sun felt amazing on his skin, warming him all the way through, even to his bones. It felt  _ wonderful. _

 

Before he could leap down to the grass below, the sound of bellowing and rocks crashing above him drew his eye. Far above him, Ven was forcing his shoulders through a hole barely big enough for him, and Sora stamped his foot in indignation.

 

"No!" He yelled. "Stop following me! Go home, Ven!" The beast ignored him and forced his way through, leaping down to the ground and dashing out in front of Sora, enjoying the sunshine just as much if not more than the boy who had almost left him behind. Sora watched with wide eyes, one hand held out as if in entreaty.

 

"Okay. That's- that works." With a quiet sigh (that he refused to admit was of relief), he hopped down and followed after Ven, holding his arms out to either side to best enjoy the sunshine. It felt like ages since he'd been outside, even though it had probably only been a day or two. The passing of time was difficult to measure in those damp, dark corridors. 

 

Sora trudged out to stand next to Ven, and his jaw dropped open at the sight that greeted him.

 

A tower. A tower taller and grander than any architecture he had ever seen before stretched into the sky far above him, and beyond the edge of the little meadow they stood in the cliff dropped down to a gorge deeper than any natural formation Sora knew could exist. Around them, the walls of this extraordinary valley rose as high as the tower, walling them in from the outside world. Sora's heart sank. 

 

There was no way he was getting home anytime soon. 

 

Beside him, Ven crooned and then roared, tearing up onto his hind legs and flapping wings far too small to lift him. Sora watched the display in sorrow. If only he'd been strong enough to fly, they could soar right out of here with no problems. But without that, there was no exit, no path to the outside that Sora could traverse. They were stuck, well and truly.

 

Although…

 

Sora eyed the tower, and the surrounding walls of the valley. There were all sorts of other structures and ledges like the one they stood on, some of which led all the way up to the top of the tower.

 

"Do you think we can climb up there?" Sora wondered out loud. Ven snorted, falling back to all fours. Sora eyed a series of stone towers to their right, and the ledge along the wall that would be just wide enough to sidle along. He could see another entrance to the ruins at the other side of it. Maybe, just maybe… they could climb their way up. From there, they  _ had _ to find an exit. They just  _ had _ to.

 

Sora walked towards his new goal, throwing his shoulders back and his chin up. "This isn't going to be an easy climb, so we better start now. You ready, Ven?" The great beast took his place beside him, rumbling deep in his chest, and Sora grinned. 

 

"I promise. I'm going to make it back home to my family, my friends. To my village. I won't let anything stop me." He gestured to Ven to start making his way across, and he began to do the same.

 

"No matter what."

**Author's Note:**

> Welp! Looks like these two are going on an adventure! I couldn't change this first part too much without losing the integrity of the story, but as things progress and I hopefully write out each part in a decent amount of time, it will stray from the original story, hopefully enough to make this an interesting read. Comments, critiques, and ideas are always welcome! Or if you just want to scream about how cute Trico is, that's also completely valid.


End file.
